I'm really not doing business

Chapter 970: There's no such thing as stealing as there's cheating!
The rule that memorials should not be submitted overnight is good, but it is only suitable for emergencies.

In the early years of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the country was in decline, so this demand was not excessive. Everyone had to be on high alert. But after eighteen years of the Wanli Reforms, such demands were still being made. Even a machine like the emperor would be exhausted by such demands.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the North Star in front of him with a solemn expression; this thing was a bit too valuable.

He felt that his "Nine Chapters on Governing the State" was correct, but he also thought that it was just a small change in daily governance. He did not expect that the emperor would smash such a treasure. Moreover, judging from the words carved on the golden base, this was originally a reward for a hundred years later, but His Majesty actually issued it ahead of time.

What is His Majesty the Emperor going to do?!

"No, I have to go to Tonghe Palace. I have a feeling that His Majesty is going to kill someone." Zhang Juzheng thought it over and over and felt that something was wrong. No matter how he looked at it, he felt that this was a sign that His Majesty was going to launch a great purge.

Zhang Juzheng, accompanied by You Shouli, rushed to Tonghe Palace.

Politics is often achieved through bribery. Such a valuable reward is enough to ensure wealth for generations to come. His Majesty's actions seem more like an attempt to bribe the heads of civil and military officials, indicating that he is preparing to take action.

Zhang Juzheng sent You Shouli with the treasures to the gate of Tonghe Palace, where the eunuch led Zhang Juzheng to the West Flower Hall to wait.

Qi Jiguang was already in the West Flower Hall. The two exchanged greetings before sitting down and holding their breath to await His Majesty's imperial decree. The West Flower Hall was somewhat silent. The stars Tian Shu and Shang Jiang were placed on the table, and the sunlight shone on them, creating a magnificent and intoxicating glow.

"Did someone submit a memorial that displeased His Majesty? Or has another case of treasonous selection of tribute officials occurred?" Qi Jiguang broke the silence. The military administration was very stable. The recent troop reduction did not cause too much trouble. Rather than troop reduction, it was more like determining the place of origin and giving the soldiers of the garrison a way out.

"No, regarding the Qingmaqiao Rebellion, the entire capital is focused on dealing with the Anti-Corruption Bureau's anti-corruption efforts. Is there a mutiny in the military?" Zhang Juzheng carefully reviewed the recent memorials. Recently, there had been mostly good news. Local gentry and elders were even willing to keep their promises and reduce rents during famine years. There hadn't even been any small-scale civil unrest.

"No," Qi Jiguang said with absolute certainty.

After a brief exchange, they fell silent again.

"Is military control about to begin?" Zhang Juzheng thought of another possibility: the situation was getting more and more serious, and His Majesty was planning to overturn the table. In that case, he would definitely have to communicate the details carefully with Qi Jiguang.

Qi Jiguang shook his head and said, "No, His Majesty has not issued an imperial edict. Does His Majesty intend to return the land to its former inhabitants?"

Qi Jiguang thought of a possibility: His Majesty's persistent desire to return land to the people might be a plan to take advantage of the changing times to redistribute land. No matter how you look at it, this possibility is very high.

“His Majesty hasn’t asked about returning land to the people recently. After Zhejiang, there have been some scattered trials of returning land to the people in a few major cities. It’s not yet time to call for returning land to the people throughout the country,” Zhang Juzheng said, shaking his head again.

The conditions for returning land to the people are not yet sufficient. Your Majesty is in the prime of life and knows that this matter cannot be rushed.

After a brief exchange, they fell silent again.

"Your Excellencies, His Majesty summons you." Xu Jue walked quickly to the West Flower Hall and hurriedly said as soon as he entered.

Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang followed Xu Jue toward the Imperial Study. As they walked, Zhang Juzheng asked, "Xu Da Dang, why did His Majesty suddenly bestow such a generous reward?"

“Prime Minister, I don’t know the details,” Xu Jue shook his head and said, “You two are important ministers of the country. You can ask His Majesty yourself after you have an audience with him.”

Xu Jue genuinely didn't know, and Zhang Juzheng thought it was a confidential matter, so Xu Jue refused to speak.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects. We hope Your Majesty is well." Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang bowed in greeting. You Shouli and Qi Changguo put down the stars Tian Shu and Shang Jiang, and then chose to leave. His Majesty wanted to talk to his ministers, and it was not convenient for them to listen.

Zhang Juzheng asked four questions in a row, inquiring about the emperor's reasons for this action.

"Sir, Commander Qi, the reason I am so generous in rewarding you is because I am out of money. I did not expect the Dinghai school system and the imperial road to be so expensive. The imperial treasury still needs to continue to collect gold. The imperial treasury is out of money, but the Dinghai school system and the imperial road must continue." Zhu Yijun indicated to the two that they should not panic, as he was not planning a rebellion.

"Your Majesty, please take back the treasures. Such a generous reward is beyond our ability to accept." Zhang Juzheng's face was full of question marks. The Dinghai school system and the imperial road were all very expensive, and it was expected that the imperial treasury would be short of funds.

If the imperial treasury is broke and treasures are given away as rewards, won't it make it even poorer?

His Majesty's behavior makes no sense at all.

“Sir, Commander Qi, it is precisely because we are short of money that I have bestowed such generous rewards.” Zhu Yijun gestured for Zhang Juzheng to calm down. He did not pretend to be profound and said with a smile, “Only if you and Commander Qi accept these beautiful stones that are worthless and unappreciated will they have any value.”

"Hmm?" Qi Jiguang was taken aback, and then he understood the emperor's plan. His Majesty the Emperor was planning to make money!
Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang, civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty, received such a generous reward from the emperor that powerful figures, wealthy merchants, and local gentry all recognized that these beautiful stones were truly worth so much silver.

The emperor was giving these beautiful stones more exchange value, and this large-scale reward for the heroes of the eastern expedition was the best opportunity!

Besides the stars Tian Shu and Shang Jiang, there are also the rewards of 135 people, plus the nine victories in the Eastern Expedition. Beautiful stones with stories are more valuable. Otherwise, why would something that can't be eaten or worn and has almost no use be so expensive?
Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang exchanged a glance. Judging from the deep worry in each other's eyes, the reason that His Majesty had no money had clearly failed to convince the two important ministers.

They didn't believe His Majesty was just trying to make money; they insisted that His Majesty wanted to kill people, and many, many people at that.

"I can't fight against powerful and influential figures, local gentry and elders on my own," Zhu Yijun said, shaking his head. "If I were to use them, they wouldn't recognize me. So, like before, I had to bring in Mr. Qi and General Qi to fight against them."

Zhu Yijun told Zhu Yiliu that once the emperor and the court could not defeat the local powerful families, they would immediately join forces with them to exploit the people.

Towards the end of a dynasty, the core interest of the court was no longer to mediate conflicts between different classes and ensure that there were no large-scale peasant uprisings in the localities, but rather to finance and taxation, to ensure the court's finances and to ensure its own survival.

For example, Emperor Ling of Han sold official positions at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty; the tacit understanding between the court and the regional military governors at the end of the Tang Dynasty; the Song Dynasty's policy of not setting up land, and the Southern Song Dynasty's purchase of official land; and the levying of three taxes at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty levied three taxes to fund its conquest of Liaodong. Even during the Qing Dynasty, these three taxes were still collected, and continued until the Qing Dynasty was destroyed.

Zhu Yijun, fighting alone, could not defeat powerful figures, wealthy merchants, and local gentry. Just because he, the emperor, said something was valuable, did that mean it was valuable?

Although these jadeite pieces were gradually being accepted by powerful figures, wealthy merchants, and magnates, Zhu Yijun planned to intervene artificially, artificially inflating the price of jadeite and releasing all the jadeite previously accumulated in the imperial treasury to exchange for silver.

Just like the fine woolen cloth of the Great Cloth Coin back then, it was released to reap a huge harvest of silver within the Ming Dynasty.

Jadeite is undeniably beautiful, and the better it is processed, the more beautiful it becomes. Even if the price drops later, the imperial court still has a stable source of revenue. Currently, all the jadeite producing areas within the territory of Dongyu are occupied by the Duke of Qian's mansion, ensuring stable mining operations.

The price of this item varies in Toungoo, Yunnan, and the interior, allowing the imperial court to profit from the price difference. In the long run, this could be a lucrative business with a gross profit of several million taels of silver per year.

Zhu Yijun did not hide anything from Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang, and carefully explained his plan: to make money off whoever had money!

"Consider these two jade stars, Tian Shu and Shang Jiang, as an advance bonus for you, sir and General Qi." Zhu Yijun pointed to the two enormous jade pieces, explaining why he had bestowed the family heirloom ahead of time.

“The silver dam is severe. We really need to come up with something that will be accepted by powerful and wealthy merchants in order to extract this silver from the metropolis and send it to the imperial roads and the Dinghai Education System.” Zhang Juzheng’s words were somewhat absent-minded.

The problem of silver idling in metropolitan areas will be somewhat alleviated.

"Sir, you have many brilliant ideas. Is there any way to fundamentally solve this silver dam in the metropolis?" Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said with some helplessness, "Silver has been flowing into the Central Plains for so many years, and at least 300 million taels of silver have flowed in. In fact, it can basically meet the needs of trade, but the silver is just circulating in vain."

"I have exhausted all my ideas." Zhang Juzheng shook his head helplessly; he really had no magic bullet.

Qi Jiguang thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, why don't we send the sons of these powerful and wealthy families to the countryside? That way, their silver will end up in the countryside."

"Hey, that's a good idea," Zhang Juzheng said immediately upon hearing it. He then said to the Emperor, "Please allow me to think about it."

Zhang Juzheng thought about it more and more and felt that Qi Jiguang's idea was excellent, absolutely excellent!

"Your Majesty, who exactly came up with this genealogy? It's truly useful." Zhang Juzheng looked intently at the emperor, then at Qi Jiguang, and said.

Qi Jiguang nodded repeatedly and said, "That's right, that's right. Just send the family disciples to the countryside according to the family genealogy."

“Those with family genealogies have generally been passed down for five or six hundred years and are literate. It doesn’t matter whether they teach well or not. They’re not really being asked to work; they’re just being asked to bring money to the countryside.”

In the Ming Dynasty, every family that could be considered a prominent family had a genealogy, and arrangements were made according to the genealogy.

“Once the silver dam is breached, we will distribute a batch of silver under the name of the Dinghai Education System. When the dam is breached again, we will distribute it again.” Zhang Juzheng looked at Qi Jiguang, already thinking about how to create a cycle!

When the silver dam was blocked, the powerful, wealthy merchants, and local gentry were sent to teach in the countryside. After three to five years, the supervision was gradually relaxed. These people would inevitably try to escape back to the city, only to be sent down again when the silver dam was blocked again. This cycle would repeat itself.

Disobey? Defying the imperial decree? Don't your entire family have any ties to you?

There will definitely be many problems in implementation, but they can be solved and improved in practice. The most difficult part of this method is finding the right people, but if you have a family tree, you don't have to worry about not being able to find them!

This alternation of tension and relaxation, of loosening and tightening, can greatly alleviate the problem of the silver dam!

Qi Jiguang thought for a moment and added, "Let's set a clear age range: 18 years and above, 35 years and below. Any lower or higher, and it will be difficult to manage."

“Yes, yes, this way we can reduce some resistance. As the old saying goes, it’s better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books. Just reading books will only make you ignorant of the five grains. You can’t just read books to death.” Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and added his thoughts.

Qi Jiguang paused for a moment and then said, "How about this, when we return to the city, let the villagers erect a monument for them. If they do it well, it will be a good reputation; if they do it poorly, it will be a bad reputation. It will still be a good reputation, so it won't be a wasted effort."

"Good idea." Zhang Juzheng nodded in deep agreement.

Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang were both cunning and shrewd. They worked together in harmony, and they were not unaware of the terrible nature of this policy, but they were saving these powerful and wealthy people.

If Your Majesty really wants to confiscate property, you might as well go to the countryside to teach.

Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang joined forces to prevent the Ming emperor from undergoing an unspeakable transformation, using this method to stop His Majesty from committing murder.

If Your Majesty truly comes up with a solution, these powerful figures will either die or be exiled overseas.

Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "Wait, wait, Grand Secretary, Marshal Qi, have they been influenced by Vice Grand Secretary Ling?"

If we can't solve the Baiyin landslide, then we should deal with the people who caused it. Physically, we should move these people to the countryside and take the silver with us.
Zhu Yijun carefully observed the expressions of Qi Jiguang and Zhang Juzheng, finding nothing unusual. But the very absence of unusualness was itself unusual. The emperor quickly realized his predicament: he had been outmaneuvered by Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang!

These two important ministers clearly reached a consensus in Xihua Hall. This somewhat strange exchange was Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang telling His Majesty that whatever they were going to do, it was best to keep the unrest within a controllable range.

An emperor who has complete control over the current capital garrison can often make decisions that cause unrest in the country. At this point, the teachings of the Grand Tutor and Imperial Preceptor are no longer effective. People can't teach people, but events can teach people once.

But His Majesty is always cautious, as if he has lost something.

"I really just want to make some money to subsidize the Dinghai education system and the imperial roads. Now, the construction of imperial roads and schools will cost nearly 20 million taels of silver a year in both the national treasury and the private treasury. Moreover, the more imperial roads and schools there are, the more silver will be needed."

"The national treasury's money all has a destination. I have been using the private treasury's money to promote the implementation of government orders, truly because we are poor." Zhu Yijun sat up straight and solemnly explained again that he was not trying to make a fool of himself.

The road was a little better off; although it was losing money, the losses weren't significant. Compared to the prosperity it brought, the losses were negligible. However, the school was a complete loss; at least the talent gained was not enough to offset the huge investment.

But education is a super long-term benefit that lasts for ten or even a hundred years. A small investment now will yield ten or a hundred times the return in the future; it just takes a long time.

"Your Majesty, how about confiscating the property of a few powerful and influential families?" Qi Jiguang pondered for a moment and then tentatively asked, "Zhang of Jiaozhou, Sun of Songjiang, Tang of Fuzhou, and Bai of Guangzhou—two million taels of silver can be confiscated from each of them."

Zhu Yijun waved his hands repeatedly: "How can there be a case of confiscating property without a reason? These four households alone contributed nearly a million taels of silver in grain, cotton clothing, medicine and other items just for the expedition against Japan. We will not confiscate them."

These were all heads of overseas trading companies, so confiscating their property was easy. However, these emerging bourgeoisie did not deviate from the general line of reforming the Ming Dynasty.

Even the Sun family gradually stopped their pleasure boat business, but continued to fund the construction of Shanghai University.

"How about confiscating the property of a few eunuchs? They have money too." Feng Bao thought for a moment. Confiscating the property of maritime merchants would have a bad influence, but confiscating the property of eunuchs would not have this concern.

Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao, then at Zhang Juzheng, then at Qi Jiguang, and shook his head, saying, "Nonsense! We're not going to confiscate anyone's property. Why confiscate property for no reason? You can't steal as much as you cheat!"

These are all hens that lay eggs; taking them would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!
"Is it really just about getting some silver?" Zhang Juzheng asked, still somewhat uncertain.

"Sir, I just want to get some money!" Zhu Yijun answered with absolute certainty.

Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang left, looking full of doubts, and took the Tian Shu Star and the General Star bestowed upon them as they departed from Tonghe Palace.

"Master Feng, my scheme was still seen through by you, sir and General Qi." Zhu Yijun stood by the window, watching the two loyal ministers leave Tonghe Palace, and said with some emotion.

They're all smart people; it's impossible to hide it from them.

The fact that the family heirloom was bestowed in advance made Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang, both shrewd individuals who knew the emperor well, realize that the emperor intended to cause a major uproar after their deaths, a fight to the death.

The two of them put on such a show in front of the emperor in the hope that he would not make too much of a fuss.

Zhu Yijun now has the ability to launch an attack, but he does not intend to do so now. He is waiting for Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang to pass away, so that some of the blame should not be borne by them.

Feng Bao said nonchalantly, "I think you two probably already guessed this. This reward just confirms your guess. I understand now, you two plan to cause trouble while you're still alive."

"Your Majesty, can't you please stop making a scene?"

Feng Bao wasn't talking nonsense. The most obvious evidence was that Zhang Juzheng wanted to use the Anti-Corruption Bureau to carry out a major purge, and Qi Jiguang's proposal in court to send troops to Rongcheng was also evidence.

After all, His Majesty has already written the fourth volume, "On Classes," and has also begun writing the fifth volume, "On the Struggle."

Feng Bao really didn't dare to read Volume Four, and His Majesty hadn't shown it to anyone else either.

“No, we must go too far in trying to correct a wrong. Only by going far enough can we truly leave something behind when we turn back.” Zhu Yijun shook his head and said with a distant look in his eyes, “They have already set their sights on the Dinghai education system. If they don’t make a big fuss, they will be able to completely devour all the achievements of the Wanli Reforms, including the Jieku Academy, the Medical School, the Huimin Pharmacy, the Baoqi Department, the Agricultural School, the government factories, and the imperial highways.”

"After they've eaten their fill and become bloated, they'll spit on my head and call me a tyrant, a despot, and a traitor to the people."

Feng Bao had always been by the emperor's side, and he knew exactly what His Majesty was planning. The rulers of the Ming Dynasty had better hope that Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang would live to be a hundred years old and continue to keep the emperor in a state of sanity.

"Summon Chen Mo." Zhu Yijun returned to the dragon throne and gestured for Feng Bao to summon Chen Mo to an audience.

As the commander of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Chen Mo entered the palace this time to report back on the specific details of the investigation. Chen Mo arrived about half a month later than Xu Chengchu because he had stayed in Kaifeng Prefecture for a long time.

"Your Majesty, I have investigated several corruption cases along the imperial road from the capital to Zhengzhou, and the total amount involved is 70 taels of silver." Chen Mo presented all the information he had found to the Emperor.

The total amount of corruption decreased from 91 taels of silver to 70 taels of silver because Chen Mo discovered during the audit that more than 20 taels of this corruption was actually due to the need to balance the accounts. For such a large-scale project, balancing the accounts was the normal course of action.

"I showed the accounts of the imperial road to the accountants at the Dongjiaomin Lane prison, and they are almost identical to what you found. Let's stop here," Zhu Yijun nodded and said.

After Chen Mo reported the situation, Zhu Yijun ordered Xu Chengchu to stop, but emperors always have a strange desire for control and always want to know clearly how much of their silver has been embezzled.

The Dongjiaomin Lane Prison was filled with over three hundred accountants, including graduates of Kowloon University and those who had learned accounting from unorthodox methods. They were the Ministry of Revenue's reserve "accounting force," possessing top-notch professional skills and high enthusiasm, mainly because they had discovered problems that could lead to reduced sentences.

With these reserve computing resources, the Ministry of Revenue no longer has to be so busy that it's dizzying, yet still unable to complete its year-end plan.

"So, if it weren't for Rongcheng Magistrate Sun Qifeng ordering the obstruction, this whole mess wouldn't have happened." Chen Mo reviewed the entire case and found it quite miraculous; Sun Qifeng's obstruction had killed everyone.

The destructive power of a fool's sudden inspiration can be far greater than that of a meticulously planned conspiracy.

"Chen Mo, I'm entrusting you with a case: the Wang Jian case of the official factory. Some people are stirring up public opinion, trying to use Wang Jian to deny Wang Chonggu, and then to deny the official factory. This is the final review of the three appeals for Wang Jian's death sentence." Zhu Yijun picked up a case file and handed it to Chen Mo.

Zhao Mengyou is really busy as the head of the organization, so this case, which isn't that big, can be handed over to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo received the memorial, hesitated, and wanted to leave, but then bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have returned to the Zhenfu Division and read Wang Jian's case file. I still feel that Wang Jian's current state is a bit strange."

"You mean, someone deliberately set a trap for Wang Jian? Or is this a series of traps in itself?" Zhu Yijun asked after thinking for a moment.

"This is just a guess, it shouldn't be taken seriously." Chen Mo quickly bowed his head and said, "I just feel that things are a bit coincidental, Your Majesty, I don't believe in coincidences."

Chen Mo never believed in coincidences; all coincidences were merely excuses for not discovering the truth.

"Then Wang Jian must die too. He fell into someone else's trap?" Zhu Yijun shook his head and said. The sentence for Wang Jian would not change. This fool deserved to die even if he was tricked. He had already driven people to the point of forcing them into prostitution. If he didn't die, the official factory would not be any better.

But Zhu Yijun needs to know what the truth really is.

Chen Mo returned to the Northern Garrison and began handling the cases that His Majesty wanted to deal with. After reviewing all the case files, he began to re-examine all the criminals from beginning to end. The re-examination did not yield any new discoveries, and the confessions of all the criminals showed varying degrees of discrepancies.

This is normal, because human memory is not as solid as we imagine. Even if it's not long ago, memories may become confused and uncertain.

"Chen Mo, I can't find any evidence for this case, so I'm counting on you." Zhao Mengyou accompanied Chen Mo throughout the investigation. He sensed something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Chen Mo was Zhao Mengyou's capable assistant. When Chen Mo met with the emperor, Zhao Mengyou was also present. Zhao Mengyou hoped that Chen Mo could take over the Northern Garrison Command in the future because Chen Mo had a very unique ability, which Zhao Mengyou called the "eye of an eagle".

Chen Mo always manages to notice details that others miss, and this ability becomes stronger as he accumulates more and more experience in handling cases.

“There’s something strange about this case. Wang Jian’s downfall was too fast and too smooth. He didn’t struggle at all. It’s like an invisible net that caught Wang Jian when Wen Cheng Gong wasn’t paying attention.”

“Commander, this is somewhat similar to the hunt for Hai Rui, the Chief Censor, back then.” Chen Mo flipped through the confession, searching for details he had overlooked.

Hai Rui was hunted down when he investigated Xu Jie in Yingtian Prefecture, Xu Chengchu was also hunted down, and it seems that Wang Jian was hunted down as well.

"I'll go check out the official factory." Chen Mo stood up. He planned to go to the official factory himself to ask the craftsmen. This was based on his experience; the common people knew what he wanted to know.

Chen Mo stayed at the official factory for a full seven days before leaving. Through the words of the people there, Chen Mo completed a profile of Wang Jian's life and learned many details that had not been written into the case files during previous investigations.

Through the craftsman's description, Chen Mo finally confirmed that Wang Jian was indeed being hunted. However, the scale of this hunt was incomparable to the hunt targeting Hai Rui. It could only be called contact, and after a little contact, it seemed like things were going to fall into place.

Wang Jian was willing, and others were interested. With just a few words, Wang Jian disregarded everything else for the sake of money, and even felt at ease with himself.

“Indeed, some people harbored ill intentions towards the official factory, but they did not want to attract the attention of Duke Wencheng or His Majesty, so they hoped that the officials of the factory would disrupt the order themselves.” Chen Mo gave the emperor a very accurate answer. He did not arrest anyone because they were all normal contacts and business dealings.

The government factories engaged in trade with the outside world, but their excessive isolation was also detrimental to them. This can be seen as part of the power struggle between the government and the people, and between the government and the factories.

"Many of the officials and agents in this government factory had contact with outsiders. There were thirty-six officials and fifty-three agents, but only Wang Jian and his seven subordinates were corrupted. They were really stupid!" Zhu Yijun finished reading Chen Mo's investigation report.

Since Wang Jian was imprisoned, these liaison officers and agents have stopped attending banquets and dinners when making contact with outsiders, and have adopted a completely official and bureaucratic approach.

The various problems that arose in the government-run factories due to excessive favoritism have gradually disappeared after nearly nine months of rectification.

In fact, the officials in the imperial workshops were also watching to see if Wang Jian, this particularly conspicuous fellow, would be pardoned by the emperor because of Wang Chonggu. If he was pardoned, then there would be opportunities to make a difference; those with connections could take more, and those without connections could take less.

If Wang Jian is not pardoned, he'd better keep a low profile and behave himself.

On September 27th, Wang Jian was beheaded and his head displayed to the public outside the Meridian Gate. He and his seven henchmen, along with the other ringleaders and other criminals, were exiled to Da Tielingwei. All officials of the official factory participated in the public trial, sentencing, and execution.

This is a classic example of making an example of someone to warn others.

(End of this chapter)